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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29909499">Slow Life</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyJediLife/pseuds/MyJediLife'>MyJediLife</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Star Wars - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Hospital, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Ben Solo Needs A Hug, Ben Solo is Reysexual, Ben Solo is Trying, Ben Solo is a Mess, F/M, Mention of injuries, Mutual Pining, Rey Needs A Hug (Star Wars), Rey is Bad at Feelings (Star Wars), Rey is Bensexual (Star Wars), Sex, Slow Burn, rey is lonely</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 19:40:12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,722</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29909499</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyJediLife/pseuds/MyJediLife</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Ben Solo is horrified when he hits a woman with his car in an intersection. He is even more horrified when he is the only one to visit her in the hospital. Can they help heal each other?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Rey &amp; Ben Solo, Rey &amp; Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>122</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Reylo Creatives: Anniversary Exchange 2021</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Slow Life</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Adele865/gifts">Adele865</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This prompt - "Ben hits Rey with his car, he’s the only one to visit her in the hospital" - really spoke to me, and this is what I came up with. Chapter 2 should be up within a week - if the muses are kind to me!</p><p>Title from the song "Slow Life" by Of Monsters &amp; Men</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <em>
    <strong>You caught me in the tide</strong>
  </em><br/>
<em>
    <strong>And I caught you</strong>
  </em><br/>
<em>
    <strong>Sheltered by the night</strong>
  </em><br/>
<em>
    <strong>Red in tooth and red in claw</strong>
  </em><br/>
<br/>
<em>
    <strong>You saw me in new light</strong>
  </em><br/>
<em>
    <strong>And I saw you</strong>
  </em><br/>
<em>
    <strong>Sheltered by the night</strong>
  </em><br/>
<em>
    <strong>Red in tooth and red in claw</strong>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <strong>- "Slow Life" by Of Monsters &amp; Men</strong>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A machine was beeping steadily as Ben entered the sterile smelling hospital room. He approached the bed as silently as his large frame would allow, peering down at the small figure lying in the bed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>It figures</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Ben thought to himself as he looked down at the most gorgeous woman he’d ever seen, mapping out her freckles with his gaze, </span>
  <em>
    <span>I have to run down beautiful women with my car as opposed to having an actual conversation with them in a normal place.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The accident had happened two weeks ago, as Ben was on his way into work. He had started to accelerate after a traffic light had turned green, when suddenly there she was, his car slamming into her body and tossing her into the air. He had been the first one to her side, screaming at other bystanders to call 911 as he did his best to administer aid.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She had been unconscious ever since, but the doctors said it was a medically induced coma until the swelling in her head reduced. He had been in to see her every day since, wondering what color her eyes were, and if she would ever forgive him for the accident. She also had two broken legs and a fractured pelvis, which would require some physical therapy when she woke up. She was in it for the long haul, the doctors had told him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ben would find a way to make it up to her. He had to.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pulling his phone out of his pocket, Ben turned on some music as he sat next to her, his voice a low rumble as he talked to her about his day, and about his life. He told her things he had never told anyone else - how lonely he was, how horrible he felt about himself… how he worried that he would never find anyone to love him. He told her about his family, and how he always seemed to disappoint them.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Of course, when she woke up and found out he had hit her with his vehicle - well, he’d be a disappointment to her, as well. It wasn’t like he wasn’t used to disappointing people. At least he could do his best to show her that he cared while she was in the hospital.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was easy to open up to someone who was in a medically induced coma. She couldn’t judge him, couldn’t look at him in disgust and pity.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>But she would when she woke up. Ben was certain of it. No one ever accepted him for who he was - especially not when he was the reason for someone’s pain. He hardly thought that running someone down with his car would qualify as an opening for friendship.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Still, he found he felt better when he was sitting beside her, playing music and talking. He felt calm, which is not something he normally felt. Normally, emotions roiled inside him, just waiting for any reason to explode. Feeling calm again felt exhilarating, even if it was only for a few hours a day.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>****</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sir? Mr. Solo?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ben stopped mid-stride, turning as a nurse's voice rang out.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Yes?” he asked politely, feeling anxious all of a sudden. The nurse skittered to a stop next to him, smiling up at him and tucking a piece of hair behind her ear before speaking.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“We’ve been waiting for you to come in. Miss Sands woke up earlier today. We just wanted you to know before you went walking in there.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ben simply nodded, his heart sinking as he turned towards Rey’s room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He knew his time with her was coming to an end.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Taking a deep breath as he paused at the door to Rey’s room, Ben steeled himself for certain rejection as he reached up and rapped twice on the doorframe. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Come in,” a lilting voice with a British accent rang out, and Ben stepped inside, his eyes going to the small figure sitting up in the bed. “Hello,” she said, watching him curiously as he crossed the room towards her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hello. I, um…” Ben stopped, at a sudden loss for words. What should he say? </span>
  <em>
    <span>Hi, I’m the guy who ran you down with my car? Hi, I’m the creep who has been spilling his guts to you while you were lying there unconscious?</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Somehow, Ben thought those two statements would sound horrible to her, so instead, he opted for a simple introduction.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“My name is Ben Solo.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Okay,” Rey answered, looking at him with a raised brow. “Are you a therapist or something?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rey had come too early that morning, and there had been a flurry of activity in her room ever since. The last thing she remembered was walking down the sidewalk, answering a text for work. She had stepped out into the crosswalk to cross the street…</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>...and then she had woken up in a hospital two weeks later.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Uh… no. I, um… I…” Ben stammered, taking a step backwards. His face colored as he tried to make his brain work. “I, uh, I’ll just go…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Please, stay. All I’ve seen today is doctors and nurses and therapists. Your voice… it sounds familiar for some reason. Have we met before?” Her eyes were hazel, Ben noted to himself as she looked at him with a smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Um,” Ben shuffled into the room another few steps before swallowing hard. “Kind of.” He ran a hand over the back of his neck, his face coloring as he tried to decide how to proceed.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Kind of? That’s an interesting answer. I feel like I need you to explain.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Um… okay. I.. well… I guess there’s not another way to really put this. I’m the guy who hit you with his car.” Ben’s face flushed even more, and he started to turn to walk out of the room, certain Rey would start to scream and call him all sorts of names.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Wait,” Rey said as he got to the door. “Where are you going?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ben looked back at her over his shoulder. “I… I guess I figured you would tell me to leave. I mean, I am the reason you’re in here.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“From what I was told, it was an accident. Apparently, I walked into the intersection because I was distracted. Witnesses told the police that. Don’t you think you would have been charged with something criminally if it had been your negligence that caused this?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ben turned back towards the bed, his face a bright red now. “Yes, I suppose so. I feel a lot of guilt, though.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I forgive you. Now, please, come distract me. My legs are killing me, and they refuse to give me more pain medicine until the doctor comes and sees me. You’d think they would be kinder to someone with two broken legs and a cracked pelvis.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Assholes. Clearly they love torturing people instead of healing them,” Ben deadpanned as he moved to Rey’s bedside, settling himself into the uncomfortable chair that rested there.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rey regarded him for a moment before bursting into laughter, causing the machine that was monitoring her vitals to start beeping at an alarming rate. A nurse rushed in a moment later, looking between Rey and Ben and giving Ben a wide smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Hi, Mr. Solo. I didn’t see you come in today to say hello!” She made it a point of stopping and touching his upper arm as she bit her bottom lip and blushed. “It’s nice to see you again.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rey just watched the exchange, waiting until the nurse was checking on the machine and her IV pump before rolling her eyes at Ben. He lifted one side of his lips in a lopsided grin, and Rey was struck by how utterly gorgeous he was.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She waited until the nurse left after making sure she was as comfortable as she could be, snorting before asking Ben, “Do you always have nurses flirting with you? Oh, Mr. Solo, it’s so nice to see you!” Rey mocked the nurse, grinning at Ben the whole time.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>For some reason, she felt comfortable with him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“You’d be surprised,” Ben replied, his face coloring more. “So, full disclosure - I have come to see you every day since the accident. I just… I had to make sure you were okay. I know that must sound, well, creepy, but I promise you, I am not a serial killer or anything of that ilk…”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rey giggled, interrupting him to say, “Only serial killers use the word ‘ilk’ in a sentence, you know.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Well, shit, it seems you’re onto me, then. Anyways,” Ben sat forward in the chair, offering Rey a large hand to shake, “Ben Solo, recently discovered serial killer. It’s nice to finally meet you, Rey.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Beaming, with eyes sparkling with mirth, Rey took his hand, shaking it and looking into his eyes. “It’s nice to meet you as well, Ben Solo. I’m Rey Sands, newly minted attorney, proud green card holder, and supersleuth - at your service.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Their eyes held, a delicious warmth spreading between their hands as they just stared at each other. The moment was broken as a man strode into the room after rapping on the doorframe twice.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Miss Sands, so nice to see you awake. Hello, Benjamin!” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rey quirked a brow at him after pulling her hand from his. Looking at the new arrival, she asked, “You two know each other?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Indeed we do. Ben’s best friend is my son, and Ben here is my godson! My name is Dr. Dameron, and I just wanted to do a quick exam and evaluate your pain so that I can effectively treat it now that you are awake. Ben, would you mind stepping outside for a few minutes?”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Sure, Kes, thanks. I’ll be back, Rey.” Ben stepped into the hallway, groaning into his hands as he closed his eyes and shook his head. Of course, his godfather would choose then to walk into her room.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was just his luck.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It could have been worse, Ben supposed. His mother could have shown up with baby pictures to truly torture him. Ben sighed before straightening and heading to the elevators. He needed some decent coffee.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>****</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“So, you actually gave her the cupcake knowing you used salt instead of sugar? You are a terrible person, Ben Solo!” Rey was laughing so hard that tears were streaming down her face.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I did! Hey, I was fifteen, okay? She didn’t want to go out with me - it was an act of revenge!” Ben grinned at Rey. It had been a week since she woke up, and he had visited every day. She had told him that she had no one in her life, currently. She had come to the city after passing her bar exam to interview for a position at a prestigious law firm, and had been staying in a hotel.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She had no one but him to keep her spirits up, and Ben was all too happy to make it his mission to put a smile on her beautiful face every day. He had become quite enamored of her. Rey was witty, intelligent and kind - everything he wanted in a woman.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Not that she would ever choose him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>No one ever chose him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ben thought about Rey when he wasn’t visiting her. He wondered what it would be like to kiss her, or even to just hold her slender hand in hers. He itched to touch her. He longed to taste her. He couldn’t remember ever wanting anything more.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m just teasing, you know. You’re actually a very nice person, once you let people see past your grumpy dark lord persona.” Rey reached out and put a hand on his arm, giving him a timid smile.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ben Solo was a complicated man. He gave off the air of wanting to be left alone, and people often shrunk away from him when he turned his intense gaze onto them. But Rey had caught glimpses of the man behind the glares - and he had been on her mind ever since.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>She thought about him far too often when he wasn’t sitting beside her bed. They had exchanged numbers, and texted often during the day. Rey knew that Ben was driven by the guilt of hitting her with his car - even if it was only an accident - and she was already dreading the day she was released from the hospital.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Not only would she be homeless, but would she ever see him again?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks,” Ben smiled at her, his hand coming up to rest on hers. His lower jaw twitched with emotion as he shifted his hand so that his fingers were threaded through hers. “Is this okay? I mean… I… I like you, Rey.” He squeezed her hand gently, saying more with his eyes then he probably could have with words.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rey bit her lip and nodded, blushing. After a moment of looking at the blanket covering her injured legs and hips, picking at an imaginary string with her free hand, Rey finally replied, “I do too. Like you.” She nodded, looking up to meet Ben’s eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They kept their hands twined in the others for the rest of Ben’s visit, watching television and talking as the hours passed, and Rey felt hope blooming in her chest with every passing moment she spent with Ben.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>****</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ben stared down at his phone, his heart pounding in his chest as he read Rey’s text.</span>
</p><p> </p>
<p></p><blockquote>
  <p>
    <b>&lt;Rey&gt; They are discharging me tomorrow. I’m going to be homeless, will probably be deported. I’m terrified.</b>
  </p>
</blockquote><p> </p><p>
  <span>Two weeks had passed since both of them had admitted they liked each other, neither one of them making a move to do anything but hold hands as they sat in her hospital room, just basking in each other’s presence.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Now he faced losing her, and Ben knew he couldn’t handle that. Finding someone who saw behind the public facade he always had in place wasn’t a common occurrence - especially not when that person liked his company, instead of just tolerating him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Without giving it more than a moment’s thought, Ben was out the door of his apartment, the work he had been doing abandoned as he rushed to the hospital.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Rey needed him, and that was the priority.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He reached the hospital in record time, practically running through the halls until he reached her room. He was panting and sweaty, his face red from exertion as he skidded into her room, his eyes going to her bed. She looked up at him with tear-filled eyes, and Ben felt something inside him break as he went to her, folding her gently into his arms in an embrace. Rey buried her face in his chest, sobbing for a long time before finally pulling away and swiping at her eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I’m scared, Ben. I… they said something about my insurance not covering things, and that I really need to see a physical therapist to rehab and gain strength, and that I needed help because I can’t walk or even bathe yet without help. I… I can’t do this on my own, and if I don’t hear back about my interview, I’ll lose my visa and have to go back to England.” Rey’s voice was wavering, tears running down her cheeks as she looked at him.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Ben reached out, cupping her face with his hands and wiping her tears away with his thumbs.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Shhh, I won’t let that happen. If you’ll allow me to help you, I can take care of making arrangements for you to come stay with me while you recuperate. I have a large townhouse and I work from home most of the time. Does that sound okay?” Ben held her gaze until she nodded before pulling him back in for another embrace.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<em>
    <span>Maybe… maybe this time I am doing things right. Maybe I’m finally getting a shot at happiness,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Ben thought to himself as he held the woman he thought he had fallen in love with in his arms as she cried from relief and happiness.</span>
</p>
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